Former Senior Detective’s Conduct Deemed Unacceptable by Panel

A panel has stated that a former senior police officer, described as “predatory,” habitually gazed at the breasts of female colleagues and engaged in inappropriate behavior with other women. The conduct of Detective Superintendent Mark Spencer was determined to be unacceptable over a period spanning more than ten years, concluding in 2022. Some women reported that the former Thames Valley Police (TVP) officer would stare at their chests as if driven by a “compulsion,” noting that he possessed a “classic ‘wandering eye’.” The panel dismissed Mr. Spencer’s defense, which claimed he was “very socially awkward” and tended to avoid eye contact, as “fanciful.” It was ruled that had he not already departed from TVP, he would have been dismissed. It was revealed that Mr. Spencer had a “reputation” among some within the force, who labeled him a “perv” and a “letch.” He contended that some of the women might have mistakenly thought he was staring at their breasts while he was attempting to avoid eye contact. The panel challenged this claim, stating: “‘It begs the question: ‘If the officer were avoiding eye contact with female colleagues, why did his gaze so often (if not always) fall on their breast areas?'” Mr. Spencer, who served across the Thames Valley region for the force, was “highly regarded,” and the panel affirmed that his “professionalism and abilities [were] not in issue.” However, it noted that his unacceptable behavior persisted even after his female supervisor informed him that he was causing discomfort to some colleagues. In a separate incident, he was found to have used winking emojis in messages and displayed excessive familiarity with a junior female colleague. The panel highlighted that he held senior ranks and that his conduct “involved an abuse of his authority and the trust placed in him by both TVP generally and his colleagues.” Convening at TVP Headquarters in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, the panel concluded that it was “reasonable, proportionate and appropriate” to determine that Mr. Spencer would have been dismissed if he were still employed by TVP. BBC Berkshire maintains a presence on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC does not assume responsibility for the content of external sites. Further information on its approach to external linking is available.